Apple Approves Pulitzer Winner's iPhone App, But Continues War on Satire

It took winning a Pulitzer Prize, but Mark Fiore's cartoon app has finally been approved by Apple's satire censors.

Apple initially rejected Fiore's iPhone app for violating its policy against ridiculing public figures — a fate that has befallen many an app in the past couple of years.

But that all changed once Fiore won the Pulitzer last week. Apple asked him to resubmit his app, Steve Jobs acknowledged the rejection was a mistake, and now Apple is primed to cash in on Fiore's success.

Apple's policy against ridiculing public figures has essentially banned political satire from iPhone, with the exception of high-profile apps from sources such as The Onion, The Colbert Report, and MNSNBC.com Cartoons. They've all gotten a pass, but the rest of the unwashed masses have gotten the Fiore treatment.

Full disclosure: Apple recently rejected my satirical iPhone apps, "The Conservative Insult Generator" and "The Liberal Insult Generator." In a recent article for the Huffington Post, I talk about Apple's double-standard when it comes to political satire on the iPhone. I also chide Apple for taking such great offense to political satire, while profiting heavily off apps such as iFart, MyVibe and iPoo:

"For anyone whose political satire app has been rejected for being "objectionable", it appears there are two possible paths to getting it approved: 1) add more farting, pooping, or self-pleasuring functionality; or 2) win a Pulitzer Prize."

Fiore, for his part, says that Apple should drop its restrictions and open its door to political satire.

"Sure, mine might get approved, but what about someone who hasn't won a Pulitzer and who is maybe making a better political app than mine?" Fiore told the New York Times. "Do you need some media frenzy to get an app approved that has political material?"

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Fiore said, "What I want to come out of this is to change this policy so people don't have to make a stink to make decent political satire for the App Store."

America has a rich tradition of political satire in all mediums. Here's hoping Apple will consider changing its policy without having to be shamed by the next Pulitzer Prize winner.

Update: In the latest crackdown on satire on the iPhone, Apple has banned an app featuring cartoons of Tiger Woods. It's OK to ridicule President Obama, but Apple apparently believes the scandal-plagued Woods should be off limits.

Does Big Media care about Apple's censorship? This Wired article raises some interesting questions, including whether Apple has a responsibility to free speech.

Related:
Top iPhone Apps for Political Humor Junkies
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Best Cartoons of 2010

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